Lone Wolf
by Sofricus Aurora Zakuro
Summary: ZakuroxPie. Pie comes back to Earth with some Kirema Anima and has a strange encounter with a certain Mew, leaving them both with confused feelings. What will the lone wolf do?
1. Chapter 1

**Lone Wolf**

Disclaimer: I don't own TMM. At all. If I did, the ZP pairing would have actually happened.

A/N: This will probably be a one shot. If 5 people tell me to continue, I will.

Summary: An encounter between Pie and Zakuro. The alien tells the Mew his opinion on her solitude. Will be one-shot unless 5 people tell me to continue.

"For your evil actions, I will make you pay!"

The clear cry cut through the Tokyo night. The lavender-haired alien named Pie smiled. A Mew Mew was coming to fight him.

Good. That's what he wanted. Ever since the aliens had left Earth, Pie's friends Kish and Tart had been popping back to see their girlfriends, the Mews Ichigo and Pudding. Pie missed Earth too, but not having a girl to go visit gave him no excuse to return to the planet.

But Pie was bored, and to tell the truth, he did miss Earth. So he'd decided to annoy one or more of the Tokyo Mew Mew girls by popping back down and setting a few Kirema Anima loose on the streets of Tokyo.

Now, the tall alien hovered above a skyscraper while the five Anima, long, thin, fanged ones that had once been snakes, writhed around him. It sounded like only one of the five Mews was coming. He wondered idly which one.

_Thwapp! _A cross-shaped whip struck the nearest Anima's back as a tall, purple-haired girl with the ears of a gray wolf rounded the corner. It was Zakuro Fujiwara.

_Zakuro……_Pie froze for a moment. There was more than one reason he'd avoided coming back to Earth for so long. The biggest was that his feelings were incredibly mixed up. Kish and Tart thought of him as the emotionless, cold-hearted, mastermind who dispensed Kirema Anima with deadly accuracy. But ever since his feet had last left the planet's soil, Pie hadn't been able to get Zakuro out of his head…Secretly, he'd been hoping she would be the one to come….

_Kirema Anima? We haven't seen any of these in ages! I thought the aliens were our allies now…at least, that's what Ichigo said…_Zakuro thought. The werewolf refused to show her nervousness as she peeked up to see who was sending the snake-creatures at her.

It was Pie.

Zakuro had hoped she'd never see the lavender-haired alien again. She'd been able to fight him when Ichigo and the others had told her to—but only using the calm façade years of being a model had taught her. Now, her feelings were just as mixed up as his—but she didn't know that, of course.

She was the solitary one of the Mew Mew group, the one with the least attachments. Sure, Ichigo and the others were her friends, and she cared about them, but she didn't form the same kind of emotional bonds as, say, Pudding or Lettuce did. Certainly, she'd never fallen in love with a guy…but Pie made her feel the way no other man, human or alien, could…

_Snap out of it, Zakuro! _she thought. While she'd been….she hated to admit it….daydreaming,….the five Anima had circled around her, binding her arms and legs to her side.

"Ribbon Zakuro Pure!" she yelled. One of the snakes fizzled away into nothingness, but the other four tightened their grips on her limbs, like a warning.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Pie said coldly, "Hello, Lone Wolf. It's been a long time."

"Pie, I'm sure you didn't come down to Earth just to say hello to us Mews," Zakuro replied, trying to keep her cool while struggling against the bonds the alien was holding her in.

"Oh, Zakuro, you're just always so friendly, aren't you," Pie answered with a mocking laugh, "On the contrary. I was bored. But now, I feel accomplished."

"And why would that be?" the werewolf questioned, trying to sound sarcastic.

"I finally caught one of the Mews on their own, without the others. But I would have suspected it, being you. You're such a lone wolf, Zakuro. Always alone, nobody to care about…." Pie tried to keep too much feeling out of his voice. Inside, he was thinking, _How can she be doing this to me? I'm alone with her, she's at my mercy…and yet I can't bring myself to hurt her. Even Tart was able to hurt Pudding when he captured her in the Tokyo Dome, and he loves her! Am I going soft?_

"I'm not alone!" the Mew replied quickly. "I have Ichigo, and the other mews. They're my best friends! And I get along with plenty of other models at my agency…"

"But you're jealous," the alien stated. "You pretend you love being so solitary, Lone Wolf, but you're jealous. All of your friends have someone they care about more than anyone. Ichigo has Kish, Pudding has Tart, Lettuce has Ryou, Mint has Keiichiro. You have nobody."

"That's because I'm the lone wolf, like you yourself said," she shot back. "I roam the fields and mountains freely, with nobody to hold me down. I have friends I care about, but nobody permanent, nothing last me, no boy to impair me in times of need. That is how the werewolf has always been, even in legend. You know that to be true, Pie."

Surprisingly, he didn't respond. Zakuro had expected some sort of barb, some prickly comeback. Instead, he stepped slowly and cautiously closer to the bound Mew. The snakes tightened their grip in response to his slow forward motion.

"I'm not going to hurt you, Zakuro." Pie said in a level, calm voice, as he continued to approach her. "You will only hurt yourself. If you are so estranged from everyone, who will cry when one day a Kirema Anima gets the best of you?"

"I need nobody to cry for me. Tears are for sentimentalists like Lettuce."

"Oh?" Pie was only a few feet from her now. She could see a strange expression in his large eyes, something she couldn't comprehend. "Well, think of this, Zakuro."

He was two feet from her…one foot…now scant inches. His face was so close to hers…she could feel his warm breath…smell his unique-to-alien scent. If he was going to try and kill her, now was the time. She held her breath, showing no fear to the alien.

But he didn't. Instead, he leaned close to her wolf-eared, purple-haired face. He paused with his eyes about two inches above hers, and dropped his voice to a whisper.

"Even the lone wolf longs for someone to care for them, Zakuro," he whispered. Then, he lowered his face two inches and kissed her.

The werewolf couldn't believe it. Pie, her former worst enemy, the alien that had plagued the earth with Kirema Anima for them to fight, was kissing her? Electricity surged through her body, but she ignored it.

Before she could truly comprehend the fact that Pie had just kissed her, he lifted his mouth away from hers and took two steps back. Without another word, he snapped his fingers and the snakes lifted themselves from her arms and legs. A second later, he was gone.

As Zakuro turned away, back toward her home, she tried to forget the feel of Pie's mouth on her own. She looked back just once, glancing into the star-filled night sky.

She could have sworn she heard words, strained as though whispered over hundreds of miles, but still audible.

"_Even the lone wolf longs for someone to care for them, Zakuro……" _


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two

A/N: Sorry it took so long. Wow, 10 reviews telling me to continue! Yay, it's better than I thought. Well, here's the next chap, finally.

Disclaimer: Ikumi owns all.

_Zakuro was flying through space, looking for something. In her heart she knew what, but her mind wouldn't tell her…Then he was there, floating in front of her. "I knew you would come, Lone Wolf," he told her._

"_I'm not here for you…I came to roam free," the werewolf replied. Her model-trained face was calm, but inside she was panicking. _I didn't come for him? Did I? _she thought. _

"_No, you didn't, Lone Wolf. I know you too well," Pie responded. His voice wasn't mocking, but sincere._

"_You don't know me at all!" Zakuro yelled in response, defiant. "You don't! You don't! You can't………" _

"Zakuro? Earth to Zakuro! Somebody's daydreaming, na no da!" The cheerful, ebullient voice broke through Zakuro's…daydreams…like a tidal wave. A butter-yellow blob of pure happy energy bounced in front of her, never staying in the same spot for more than a minute.

The model blinked. Realization hit her. It was Wednesday, right in the middle of a sudden rush of business for Café Mew Mew. She was standing behind the desserts counter.

More realization followed that. She had been standing behind the desserts counter for almost ten minutes now. The cherry pie (how ironic) she'd been holding had slid off the tray in her now-limp hands to spatter over the floor. Her new black shoes she'd gotten at the department store yesterday were spattered with red, blobby goop.

So was Pudding. The monkey-girl bobbed up in down in front of the werewolf, trying to get her attention, cherries streaking her short yellow dress and white apron. Her voice sounded choked, which Zakuro realized a moment later was due to the fact that her mouth was stuffed full of pie crust. _Just like Pudding, _she thought ruefully, _Always finding something to eat. _

"Erm….Sorry, Pudding. I was just feeling a bit faint for a minute there. I'll clean up." She flashed the yellow Mew a small smile as she reached for a dishrag and began dabbing at her violet dress. _Man, this is never coming out. I hate ruining clothes!_

Just as she thought that, the rag was plucked from her hands by a hand full of short, nimble fingers. This was followed, a second later, by the words "Pudding Ring Inferno Cleanup!" With that, the cherry filling disappeared from her outfit, the floor, and her friend's clothes.

"Zakuro has forgotten that trick Ryou taught us last week. Is okay, though. Pudding remembered, na no da!" The younger girl tossed the dishrag aside, grinned one last huge grin at her wolf-friend, and dashed back into the café proper.

Zakuro took a moment to collect her thoughts. _Man, I really was distracted. Is Pie getting to me that much? _she mused. _Why am I thinking about him so much? Maybe…maybe I miss him?_

A second later, she was angry at herself for even considering that. She was MODEL for goodness' sakes, and a Mew Mew. He was a strange alien with weird purple hair. How different could they get!

With that, she strode after Pudding, trying to keep her pace steady and her face calm. When she entered the café proper, the other Mews shot her quick looks of concern, which she brushed away with her usual cool, neutral expression.

"Zakuro? Could you take this to Table 5 please?" Keiichiro asked. "Zakuro? Are you with us?"

_You came for me…Lone Wolf…I missed you, too…_A jumble of thoughts spiraled through her brain. _You came for me…Zakuro? Zakuro?_

The last voice was not Pie's, but Keiichiro's. With a start, the werewolf realized she'd been doing it again. Daydreaming about Pie, that was. At least this time, she was standing by the food pickup counter, where her boss Keiichiro Akasaka was attempting to get her attention.

"Oh? Yes, of course, right away, Keiichiro," Zakuro tried to brush off the fact that she'd been daydreaming, but the black-haired chef was too quick. He grabbed her by the arm before she could make off with the food that she was supposed to deliver.

"Are you sure you're feeling okay, Zakuro?" he asked worriedly.

She was about to dismiss it with a curt remark, but paused. Keiichiro had always been very kind and polite to her, even when she was detached in return. Deep inside her, she considered him almost her best friend. She had to ask him something, and she knew he'd understand.

"Um, Keiichiro? I'm feeling okay, I've just been really out of it lately. I'm a bit of a solitary person, and I…well…can I take some time off from working at the café? Just to be alone by myself for a while? My modeling agency gave me permission for a break and everything…" The wolf-girl cut herself off when she realized she'd begun to babble.

To Zakuro's relief, Keiichiro was smiling at her. "Sure, Zakuro. I'd been about to suggest that you take a vacation myself. See, Kish and Tart brought the spaceship down near Earth so they could spend some time with Ichigo and Pudding, so the café will be running shorter hours for the next couple weeks so they can visit their boyfriends. Plus, Ryou and I haven't had much time with our own girls lately…" Keiichiro paused, blushing, "…so, anyway, it'd be a perfect time for you to take some time off. How about three weeks of off time? That enough?"

The werewolf blessed the café manager with one of her rare smiles. "Thank you for understanding, Keiichiro. Two weeks would be great! I just…things have been so busy at my modeling job, and the café too…I guess I need some time with myself."

The black-haired young man nodded understandingly. "The lone wolf needs a hiatus from the pack? Well, you can go say your goodbyes now, and I'll give you the rest of today to get ready, so you can leave tomorrow. Could you maybe be back by October 14? We'll need you for the rush of Halloween candy demands."

Zakuro chuckled softly. "That sounds good. Thanks again." She smiled once more at her friend (she supposed she really could consider him a friend now) and walked back into the café proper. She hoped the other Mews and Ryou would be as understanding as he was. She didn't know why she needed this time off…but she knew she couldn't stand this for much longer.

"You're leaving? Pudding will miss you much, na no da." the monkey declared upon hearing Zakuro's announcement.

The wolf Mew couldn't help but give a small smile. "It's only for three weeks, Pudding. It'll seem like no time at all."

"Yes…..but it will still be long. Have fun and write to Pudding, na no da! Promise?"

"Of course. Who doesn't write to their…friends…on vacation?" Zakuro tried to put a teasing note in her voice, something that, as a model, she didn't have much practice in doing.

"Okay, okay…But I still miss you. Come back soon, Zakuro, na no da. Your friends care 'bout you lots na no da!" Without warning, the short Mew enveloped the tall werewolf in a giant hug around the middle, burying her furry yellow head in Zakuro's white apron.

Zakuro awkwardly hugged Pudding back for a few seconds, before gently shoving the girl away. "Don't mess up my uniform, Monkey-girl. It takes forever to iron!"

"Um…goodbye, Zakuro. Have...uh...er...lots of fun. You…work so hard…you really deserve…a rest break," Lettuce murmured nervously, as though worried Zakuro would rebuke her.

"Thank you, Lettuce. You're always so kind," Zakuro told the mermaid. _She's so understanding. It's refreshing, sometimes, being around her, _she realized. "Goodbye. I'll miss you."

Mint, of course, was a bit miffed at having to spend three weeks not seeing her idol on a regular basis, but she tried to be understanding. "It was nice of Keiichiro to let you off. He is so considerate to all us workers, really. Well, anyway, have a nice trip, Zakuro. I'll see you soon, hopefully." She gave the tiniest of bows to the werewolf, a copious amount of respect, by Mint's standards.

Zakuro gave another slight bow in return. "Goodbye to you too, Mint. Be sure to take plenty of tea breaks." Though her voice was grave, she knew the bird-girl could tell she was trying to make a joke.

Once the other Mews had left, Ichigo pulled her aside. "This is about a guy, Zakuro. Don't deny it. You're not going away 'just to spend some time by yourself'. Trust me, I know. I've had more boyfriends than any of us…even though that Masaya Aoyama turned out to be a complete dork, nothing compared to my Kish…and I know the signs. So, whoever he is, good luck. And don't worry about what we'll think. We'll be happy with whoever you pick. Pudding and I date aliens, for goodness' sake! Anyway, remember, lone wolves need caring for too. Goodbye, Zakuro, and good luck with him."

With that, the cat Mew turned around and exited through the front door of the café, leaving a stunned Zakuro behind.

_It's not about a guy…I just want to spend some time on my own…Gosh, how could Ichigo think that? I've never even had a boyfriend…sure, guys have liked me, but it's all been fake, all because I was a model…I am the lone wolf…I cannot love…_right?

The thoughts running through her purple-haired head were too much for the wolf to handle. If Keiichiro hadn't given her that vacation, her head might have literally imploded from all the pressure.

"Well," she said to herself, more to break the oppressive, tense silence in the empty café than anything else, "I better get started on that vacation".

As she strode out of the café, her stride as confidant as any teenage Japanese model, she thought for the second time in as many days that she heard a faint echo of a voice.

"_I knew you would come to me, Lone Wolf…" _


	3. Chapter 3

Lone Wolf

Chapter 3

A/N: Yay, I got another update! This story's actually flowing for me, amazingly. I have no idea what the final length will be. Currently I'm estimating about 7-8 chaps, but I could be wrong.

Disclaimer: All TMM chars, plots, etc. property of Mia Ikumi. The town of Krent, the Krentari River, and the new character introduced at the end of the chap are MINE, however.

_He saw the girl. _

_She was struggling against the bonds holding her, the bonds of Kirema Anima he himself had made. Defiance was in her eyes as she met him stare-for-stare, even captive._

_The girl. The model. The Mew. The werewolf. Lone Wolf. Zakuro. _

_He'd had her! She'd been captive, unable to move. It had been his chance to destroy one of the Mews forevermore—even though they were now no longer attacking Earth, he still had his dislike for humans, especially Mews. While his companions seemed to think humans were great—they even lowered themselves to the level of dating them—his opinion had not changed._

_Anyway, she'd been at his mercy. He could have had her. But instead—he had to go and kiss her! Of all the things! He couldn't believe himself. This was lower than he'd ever gone…_

…_but he'd liked it. _

_It had taken a long time for the reticent alien to accept it—but he'd liked it. She was a beautiful girl, and kissing her had been…fun._

_What could this mean? Could he care about her? She was constantly on his thoughts now. Did he…miss her? _

_No, couldn't be. But somehow…he did. He had to see her again soon or he would go crazy. Even if it meant turning the ship's entire course around to head back to Earth…_

"Hello-ooo! Earth to Pie! Pie, is your brain in orbit again?" A mocking, aggravating voice rung in the daydreaming alien's ear.

Pie shook his head, causing his short purple hair to shake. "What do you WANT, Kish? You know not to disturb me when I'm making important calculations!"

Kish, a slightly shorter black-haired alien, best known as the "annoying one of the group" and the boyfriend of Ichigo, stifled a giggle with his palm. "Looked more like you were daydreaming, Pie-san. Anyway, I have a question…"

Pie turned toward his friend, irritated. "You've started picking up Earth customs, Kish! I'm disappointed in you! Putting '-san' at the end of someone's name is a purely human custom. You've been spending too much time with that Mew."

Kish threw up his hands in a gesture of defeat. "Ichigo and I are in love. What else can I say? Anyway, that's what I meant to ask you. Pudding and Ichigo are getting a vacation from their job for the next couple weeks. Tart and I were wondering if…er…um…" the alien trailed off.

Pie exhaled a blustery sigh of frustration. "Spit it out, Kish. I haven't got all day."

"Could you…bring the spaceship to dock near Earth for a couple days?" he finally managed to say.

The taller alien turned on his short companion in complete aggravation. "We were just _near _Earth a few weeks ago! You want to go _back?_"

Though his voice was filled with obvious dislike, inside of him a war was being waged.

_Earth? Yes, the answer is YES! I'll get to see Zakuro again, and Kish and Tart won't notice because they'll be out too…_said one part of him.

_Stupid! You're letting this…werewolf…mess you up! She's casting a spell on you like Ichigo did on Kish, or that dirty monkey did on Tart! What can you be thinking?_

"…Please, Pie?" Kish begged. And I mean _begged. _The black-haired teen got down on his hands and knees, bowing to Pie multiple times. It was obvious he and his friend were desperate for Pie's answer to be affirmative.

Finally, the battle within him was won. The mathematician sat back in his chair with yet another gusty sigh, trying to keep his voice in a monotone. "Yes, I suppose that could be arranged. We have nowhere to be, anyhow."

"OhthankyouPieyouarewonderfulthankssoveryverymuch!" Kish babbled, no longer able to contain his excitement. "YouarejustthebestfriendeverTartandIthankyousososososomuch!"

"Calm DOWN, Kisshu," he replied, using the nickname he knew Kish hated. "I'm only agreeing because I'm bored, too. Also, it would give me time to work on my calculations for reaching Planet X in the fastest possible way. As you probably know, our ship's current warp speed is the square root of eighty-three point four times pi, and if we double warp speed we reach a consistency of…"

But he was talking to the wall. His friend, in no mood for one of Pie's long-winded numerical lectures, had already darted out to seek out Tart and share the good news.

Pie leaned back in his chair, a small smile on his face. _Thank you, Kish…_he mused. _For once, you and your lovesickness have done something good…_

Zakuro stretched her back, reclining in the golden yellow sunlight. The model was relaxing on a beach a few miles out from Tokyo, in some remote town she'd never really even heard of.

Once she'd left the café, the realization had hit her. She had three weeks to herself, with no work, no modeling, nothing. At first, she hadn't known what to do.

However, the wondering was soon over. Despite the fact that the DNA of a cold-loving species of lupine were injected into her veins, Zakuro Fujiwara was a beach girl. However, the beaches of Tokyo weren't fun, as she was easily recognized and bombarded by paparazzi.

So, with the aid of her Mew powers, she'd quickly transported herself to this random, almost unoccupied strip of yellow sand along a river of some sort. It was a small one, and yet again, she had no idea as to what it was called.

The werewolf planned to stay here, maybe even for the entire vacation. The town—it might be called Krent, now that she thought of it, and the river might just be the Krentari River—was pretty scenic. Calming, rather. Nobody here knew her as Model Zakuro, or Mew Zakuro, or Zakuro the Lone Wolf…Here she could just be Zakuro, a plain girl on a vacation from her job at a restaurant back in the city. It was refreshing.

_Still…was there something missing…_

Her thoughts were interrupted by a scream.

It had been a long day, and he couldn't wait a moment longer. First, he'd had to safely dock the ship near Earth, while every minute either Kish or Tart screamed "Are we there yet? Are we there yet?" into his ear. Next, he'd had to mix up a new bottle of Kirema Anima solution, seeing as Tart had used the last serving without telling him. They'd been out of snakes, so he'd have to use the only animal he could find—a cockroach.

After convincing Tart that _no,_ that cockroach was NOT candy, he'd spent a frustrated half an hour learning one thing: insects didn't make good Anima. The bug kept scurrying away on doomed-to-fail attempts to escape Pie's laboratory. At last, he'd had to get Kish to guard the door, which the shorter alien at last reluctantly agreed to, griping every minute about how he'd be late for his date with Ichigo. After he'd finally got the solution applied to the roach, Kish had wondered why Pie had even made a Kirema Anima in the first place. After the purple-haired aliens had convinced his friend that it was "for research purposes," Kish had left, unwilling to keep Ichigo waiting another minute.

So then, he'd had the spaceship to himself. As soon as he was sure they were far enough away, Pie had almost sprinted to the tracking device. His nimble fingers had entered Zakuro's personal data before his brain had fully accepted what he was doing. He vaguely noticed that her coordinates were several miles outside of Tokyo, but he hadn't cared. He just wanted to see her, even if it meant capturing her again…

So now, the teleportation had finally worked. The cockroach Anima, with Pie riding its back like some futuristic knight-in-armor, crashed down onto…

…a beach full of normal humans, with no sign of Zakuro.

_What have I done?_

Zakuro glanced up, her purple eyes immediately catching the source of the problem. It was Pie—again, back with yet another of those weird Kirema Anima. And once again, she was going to have to face him alone.

_Why do I keep running into him? It's like he's tracking me down…or stalking me…weird… _the rational, cautious, cool-headed part of her thought.

_Well…maybe he just wants to see me, and can't think of another way? It's kind of sweet…_remarked a hidden figment of herself.

She quickly stifled those thoughts. This was time for action, not reason. Dodging behind a nearby tree so nobody would see her, she prepared to fight—yet again.

Her last thought as she whispered "Mew Mew Zakuro Metamorphosis," fervently hoping nobody would hear, was _Isn't this supposed to be my vacation from all this? _

He grinned. She _was _coming. His faithful tracker hadn't failed him after all.

With the all-too-familiar cries of "For your evil actions, we will make you pay!" and "Ribbon Zakuro Pure!" the wolf Mew descended upon the tall alien.

_She really is beautiful…_a small part of Pie mused as he watched the violet-haired girl charge him.

_Shut up! You're acting like Kish! _another part of him retaliated. Deep within, he realized that he'd done this just to see Zakuro…but no, that was too hard to accept. Best forget about it, considering that she was in the middle of attacking him.

"Darn you, Pie! WHAT DO YOU WANT FROM US!" the lone wolf yelled, her temper almost driven over the edge by the cocky smile on the face of the boy who a scant few days ago had kissed her under the Tokyo moonlight.

"Calm down, Lone Wolf," Pie responded, his voice as cutting as always. _That nickname again…_she fumed within her. _Why must he always be like this? _

The alien realized her distress, and an inner part of him cried yet again. _You're the cause of this, you realize…_it said. Despite this, Pie managed to paste a cool smile on his face. He opened his mouth to deliver the werewolf another of his traditional stinging barbs…

…when time froze.

No, literally, they couldn't move. Zakuro was frozen in mid-attack, her cross-whip extended. The cockroach's movement jarred to a stop, and Pie realized that his arms too could no longer function.

In a flash of blinding light, the sky turned red and a red-glowing figure descended from it to land with a gentle _pfft! _of sand between the Mew and her alien enemy.

As the light cleared, both Pie and Zakuro were struck with a niggling sense of familiarity about the person that had appeared.

It was a woman. An extremely beautiful woman. A tall, pale-skinned woman with floor-length reddish-black hair, constantly waving back and forth in the gentle breeze. A woman wearing a short sleeveless red dress, revealing every curve and muscle of her well-defined pale body. A woman with malicious crimson eyes, full of sarcastic laughter as she regarded the frozen duo, and sharp white teeth like some sort of primeval vampire.

"W…who are you?" Pie stammered. _Somehow, she looks familiar, but who is she?_

Her voice, when she spoke, was like the pure note of a laser beam slicing through pure silver metal. "You don't recognize me, Pie? Alien…_loyal alien…_that you claim to be?"

Pie studied her a moment longer, her cryptic words scrambling around in his calculating brain. Suddenly, it clicked. "M…m…master? _Deep Blue?_" Sure, the strange woman seemed to be so very different from the late Deep Blue, the powerful alien that had awoken in the body of Ichigo's ex, Masaya Aoyama, and forced Kish, Pie, Tart, and the rest of the aliens of their planet to work for him and help him take over Earth, there did seem to be some strange similarities. How could he have ever forgotten that familiar malicious gleam, even though it glared at him now from the depths of blood-red instead of ice-blue?

She laughed, and it was the sound of hunting dogs eager for the chase. "Yes, Pie, I am related to that pitiful creature who called himself your master. I'm Scarlet Red, his sister. Sister and superior in power, may I add. _I _didn't have the foolishness to choose an intelligent alien race as my servants and lackeys. Robots, you know, are so much more useful, considering they don't have minds of their own. But…" she turned away from the alien, her tone suddenly a mocking parody of businesslike. "Why should I explain all this to you, now. Suffice to say that I share the same goal as my dear brother, but unlike him, I shall be successful. Do you know why, Pie?"

"N…no, ma'am," Pie stammered, still unsure at what Scarlet Red was getting at.

"Because, _my dear, _of you. You have led me to the one thing that will be key in allowing me to take over your dear planet. A hostage! See, Pie, we shall get to know each other very _intimately, _I feel, considering that I'm taking this dear, dedicated Lone Wolf of yours as my prisoner."

Before Pie could scream, let alone react, jets of blood-colored light shot from Scarlet Red's hands. An expression of terror crossed Zakuro's violet eyes as the woman teleported her far away. Pie thought her mouth tried to form his name as she disappeared, but he wasn't sure.

"Catch you later, Pie-san," Scarlet Red smiled mockingly as she too disappeared, taking the red light and paralysis with her. A moment later, the beach had returned to its normal state…save for one fact.

Pie was staring out at the rapidly setting sun, in the direction the woman-alien had taken Zakuro.

_Lone Wolf…don't worry. I'll save you somehow. I don't know why…but I have to save you. Keep heart, Lone Wolf. I'm coming for you……_


	4. Chapter 4

Lone Wolf

Chapter 4

Disclaimer: Scarlet Red, her aides, and her spaceship belong to me. All restIkumi

"ZAKURO!" Pie screamed as he saw the girl he lo—cared about—teleported away by the evil sister of his former master. "ZAKURO! NOOOOOOOO!"

In his entire seventeen-and-a-half Earth years of life, Pie had never lost control. He couldn't afford to. With two such incompetent partners as Kish and Tart usually were, he'd spent most of his life with the entire control of a spaceship in his hands. Often, the only thing that had kept it from crashing were his careful calculations and quick, rational decisions.

But now…now he could not, just could not keep cool. He cried, screamed, shouted, cursed at the innocent cherry-red sunset into which Lone Wolf had disappeared.

"Um……sir?" came a tiny voice from beside him. Startled, Pie turned to see a girl of about eleven years old standing beside him. A short girl with black hair, very ordinary-looking except from the fact that she wore a glittery purple band around her ponytail.

"Yes, you sir. With the purple hair. I'm talking to you," she informed im.

Pie gaped.

_Did I forget to turn on the cloak? _he wondered. The cloak was a simple spell that rendered him invisible to the human eye. When he'd realized that he was going to cry, and hadn't wanted an entire beach full of humans to see, he'd thrown it up quickly. Or so he thought……

The girl gave a small laugh. "Yes, I can see you. I can see spirits. It's kind of complicated to explain, and you probably wouldn't understand. But anyway….you seem upset."

She cocked her head and studied him with her deep brown eyes, as though analyzing him. "I think I know what happened. The person you love is hurt."

"I…I don't love anyone, miss," he replied, trying to keep cool. _I don't…don't I? _he tried to convince himself within.

"Yes you do. I can tell, because it happened to me. And I learned that sitting and crying about it doesn't help. You need to go help her. Only you can save her. I learned that the hard way," she told him, her face straight. "So go rescue her, alright? Promise me you'll stop denying that you're in love?"

Pie's mouth fell open even farther than the alien felt possible. "How…you know?...you…"

The girl grinned. _I must be a funny sight, a tall serious-looking alien gaping at a kid like she's some sort of exotic species, _he mused. He was broken out of his thoughts by her speaking yet again.

"Especially if you're a spirit. Spirits are especially bad about admitting that they love someone. Really bad…. And how do I know you're in denial? I just do. Now, sir, go help your girl," she paused a moment, "I'm Chihiro, by the way. No need to thank me."

With that, the strange girl skipped away.

_My, she was odd…_Pie mused.

_She floated through a daze, unable for the life of her to place where she was. All she could remember was red, an entire sky full of the color red, a deep blood-shade. _

_Wait…there were sounds, too. Someone—a male—was screaming, one repeated word that, try as she might, she couldn't understand. Someone else—a female—was laughing, a high-pitched laugh that sounded rather familiar, but like the voice, its origin was unknown to her. _

_Where was she? What was she doing here? Why was she here? _

_Suddenly, she heard the male screaming again. This time, however, she could hear him. The word he screamed was "Zakuro". Who—or what—was a Zakuro? _

_Wait…that was **her **name…_

Zakuro Fujiwara came to in a cell.

It was not, however, like the cells in most fairy tales that the heroine inevitably finds herself locked in at some point during the story. It was not dark, or dank, or rank-smelling, or made of metal. In fact it was light, and shiny, and made of laserglass, a material she'd only seen one other place: on the spaceship of the aliens Kish, Tart, and Pie.

_The aliens? Am I on their spaceship? But wait…Pie…the Anima…did he capture me? But I don't remember him doing anything of the sort…I think he was frozen._

Suddenly, the Mew's memory came back to her, as memories are wont to do. She was not on Pie and Kish's ship, but Scarlet Red's. The fearsome looking female alien—who she recalled was the powerful sister of her old nemesis, Deep Blue, had been the one to capture her! And Pie…

Pie…wait a second? Hadn't Scarlet Red said something about Pie "leading her to the pretty wolf-girl like the loyal alien he was"? Or "allowing her to capture his _darling Lone Wolf_"? She clearly remembered her captor mentioning something of the sort.

As soon as the werewolf's brain had concluded that thought, Zakuro realized what had happened. Pie had betrayed her! The strange events of the past couple days had all been traps intended to make an opportunity for Scarlet Red to capture her. So they'd all been fake—the strange encounters, the cryptic words, the odd smiles….

…the kiss.

_But better not think about that, _Zakuro reprimanded herself. _You're starting to sound like Ichigo, mooning over Kish. Or Lettuce and Ryou, or Mint and Keiichiro, or…gosh…Pudding and Tart! And that's not you! Anyway, you have more important things to worry about. Such as the fact that you're currently locked in the cell of a psychotic she-alien…_

Zakuro broke off her thoughts, realizing that she needed to start working on escape. Unless she wanted to perish there, which she rather didn't. She turned, her sharp eyes surveying the cell, trying to get the scope of her current residence.

It was large, and circular, and the laserglass that formed it was tinted a deep lavender. On top, there was a tiny lump that rather looked like the stem of some sort of fruit, like an apple….

….or a pomegranate.

Realization hit the Mew, as it had gotten into the habit of doing. The cell she was confined in was the shape of a pomegranate! A purple pomegranate! Which could mean…

She scanned the large silver room (dungeon, possibly?) outside her cell, trying to figure out if her hypothesis was correct. With a dry mouth and trembling limbs, the werewolf recognized four other laserglass cells lining the walls of the room. One of them was lumpy and oblong—a strawberry. It was pink. Another seemed to be a blue mint leaf, another a leafy green lettuce, and the final one a brilliant yellow bowl of creamy-looking pudding.

Ichigo…that meant strawberry, didn't it. And Mint…and Lettuce…and Pudding…Oh no!

As Zakuro saw this, Scarlet Red's motives became clear to her. The alien's goal was to capture the five Mews…using her as bait!

_Café Mew Mew _

_1:00 PM _

"This is not good," Ryou Shirogane told himself. "This is really, really, not good."

The genetics genius was sitting in front of a large, professional-looking computer. His girlfriend, Lettuce Midorikawa, leaned over his shoulder, a worried expression on her gentle, friendly face.

"What is it, Ryou-chan? Is it…did you find Zakuro?" the mermaid inquired. Two days ago, Zakuro's signal had disappeared from the tracking device. All the Mews had been incredibly worried, and Ryou had been trying everything possible to recover her signal.

"Yes," the blonde boy replied. "But it's in outer space."

Lettuce's brow furrowed. "Outer space? Are you sure she's not visiting Kish, Pie, and Tart?"

Ryou sighed, his shoulders drooping over the machine he worked. "I know the signal of their ship. I've had it programmed into here since they attacked Earth. The ship—it seems our werewolf is indeed on a ship—is unfam……NO!"

The green-clad porpoise Mew jumped back several feet at his exclamation. "Did…did things just get worse?"

"Indeed, mermaid-chan. Worse than I'd imagined. There's…there's a powerful alien signal aboard the same ship where our Zakuro is…I can only assume she's being held prisoner. The signal is…more powerful than Masay—Deep Blue's signal used to be."

Lettuce's friendly face was whiter than a sheet. "Ryou—does that mean what I think it means?"

Ryou nodded. "Yes. Tokyo Mew Mew must fight again. They must rise up to save our Zakuro. Bring the others—and Keiichiro. We'd better…better prepare to fight."

Thirty minutes later, the sky exploded with four battle cries.

"Mew Mew Strawberry Metamorphosis!"

"Mew Mew Mint Metamorphosis!"

"Mew Mew Lettuce Metamorphosis!"

"Mew Mew Pudding Metamorphosis!"

Ryou turned to his longtime best friend, Mint's boyfriend Keiichiro Akasaka.

"Do you think they'll save her?"

"Yes, Ryou. For—this alien's—evil actions, they will make it pay."


	5. Chapter 5

Lone Wolf

Chapter 5

A/N: Yay!

Disclaimer: Here is what I own: Scarlet, her spaceship, the glass pomegranate, Pilka, Zalka, Doughnut. Here is what Mia Ikumi owns: Everything else

"Name: Zakuro Fujiwara. Orientation: Werewolf/human. Now _search_!" Pie practically yelled at his high-tech self-created tracking device.

The machine, an oblong pipe with a flat screen on top, beeped in response. The lavender-haired alien wondered if the search could go any slower. _I need to design faster machines, _he informed himself.

Ever since that strange girl on the beach had told him to "go search for the girl he loved," Pie had been working in a frenzied daze to prepare for his search.

It had started with acceptance.

After fully contemplating what that funny girl—Chihiro—had said, Pie realized he would have to come to terms with his mixed-up emotions before beginning his search for the werewolf. So he'd asked himself a simple question: _Do I love Zakuro? _

It had taken consideration. Years of creating destructive machines and killer animals hadn't left him very in-touch with his emotions. But finally, he had found an answer nearly as simple as the question he'd asked: _Yes._

It was hard to believe, but yes. He, Pie the alien, was in love with the wolf-girl. The _human _wolf-girl, his former worst enemy. All he could think at first was, _Kish will never let me live this down. _

But there was no time for the hours of intense worry that usually followed a realization of love. There was no time to wonder how to tell her, or if she would feel the same way. Because before Pie could ever get around to telling her his feelings, he had to rescue her.

Easier said than done. He knew practically zilch about the defense systems of Scarlet Red's spaceship. He didn't know if the cold female's traps and weapons were anything similar to the ones her late brother had used.

Finally, the math genius had put his brain to the problem and hacked into Scarlet's hard drive. She wasn't dumb—she'd probably know within an hour, not giving Pie much time if he wanted to use the element of surprise—but he'd found what he needed.

And it, as Ryou had told Lettuce only an hour earlier, was not good.

Deep Blue's weapons and machines had been fairly simple, and at a level of technology that was at least within Pie's understanding, if not within his ability to replicate. Old Doughnut, the alien who had been Pie's mentor in his childhood, had been on the design team for some of Deep Blue's technological ideas, so he'd at least learned about them.

Scarlet Red's weapons were so much more high-tech than anything Deep Blue had ever used. Pie was dumbstruck. The woman must be a genius! There were codes in her hard drive he'd never even _dreamed _of using on the spaceship…

…but no time to daydream about that. He'd found what he needed, and had a plan for breaking into her ship that just _might _work. There were still a lot of variables, but he hadn't got much time. Scarlet Red would realize she had a hacker in less than thirty minutes. He had to get going, _now. _Zakuro's life depended on it.

"_Mister Pie?" _the tracking machine said in its crisp, robotic voice. _"Miss Fujiwara's coordinates have been determined. X-3428538 by Y-2348573407520323048230483. Have a nice day!" _

Pie groaned. He made a quick mental note. _I need to focus more on how fast my machines work, not their manners…but no time to worry about that. I know where Zakuro is now. There's nothing stopping me. Time to go rescue my Lone Wolf. _

With that thought, Pie took a single deep breath and stepped into his teleportation machine.

"Good afternoon…Zakuro," Scarlet Red's voice echoed through the near-empty space of the giant glass pomegranate. "Enjoying your stay? Sorry about the accommodations…all the other rooms were full." Icy laughter followed this sarcastic statement.

Zakuro just glowered up at her captor, her face set in its coldest modeling expression. She would give the repulsive woman no satisfaction in knowing how cold she was from lying in the cell, or how much she missed her friends. Scarlet Red would just use it against her, she was sure of it.

"Well, you're a smart little girl. You've certainly figured out my plan by now. If you haven't, I'll enlighten you. You're to be the bait in a capture scheme like none the galaxy has ever seen. Your pathetic little friends were so eager to rush to your rescue…they're breaking in right now, in fact…but of course, it's a trap. My aides are powerful fighters—Cat-girl and Co. will be no match."

Zakuro still didn't speak a word. However, inside, her brain was rushing frantically. _The other Mews? Here? Oh, no! I have to warn them! I mean…I'd rather Scarlet killed me then captured them. They can still be Tokyo Mew Mew without me—plus they all have boyfriends who'll miss them. I'm the lone wolf, I can afford to die…but they can't!_

She tried not to let her fear for her friends show in her large violet eyes, which remained fixed on Scarlet Red's evil crimson ones.

"Come, little wolfie. Why don't we set up an adequate reception for your weakling playfellows? My aides will tend to your needs…Pilka! Zalka! Come here!" she ordered, her voice full of iron.

The two blue-haired female humanoids strode forward, roughly grabbing Zakuro by each arm. As they dragged her to where Scarlet Red stood, she noticed their empty blue eyes gazing vacantly upon their mistress.

The alien smiled, a smile that did not reach her eyes. "Take her to the holding bay…and don't forget to leave her in _plain _sight, so her little friends will have no trouble finding her location."

_Outside Scarlet Red's Spaceship, East Side _

The tiny single-person ship maneuvered itself closer and closer to the massive engine of Scarlet Red's massive shuttle. "_A little bit closer…just a bit…steady now…" _Pie kept up a steady stream of conversation with himself, so as not to lose his cool.

The plan he had formed was very risky, and would only work if executed very carefully and precisely. Beside the right engine, he'd discovered, there was a small trapdoor used only when Scarlet sent one of her followers out to check the jets. He thought he could fit through it—but the engine wouldn't be turned off. He'd have to be careful. There would be no rescuing Zakuro if he was sliced into ribbons by the whirring blades.

But he couldn't think of that…no…must concentrate. "_A bit to the left…now right…there's the door…be careful…JUMP!" _

With that sudden comment, Pie flung himself from his single-ship and grasped onto the handle of the trapdoor. Bracing his legs on a small ledge perilously close to the whirring engine, he teased the door open. It was stuck, and he had to pull pretty hard.

_Thwump! _The door swung open, almost knocking the alien off-balance. Pie regained his steadiness and crawled through the opening. _I'm coming, Zakuro, _was the only thought that filled his brain as he entered the hostile spaceship.

_Outside Scarlet Red's Spaceship, West Side _

"There she is! It's Zakuro, na no da!" Pudding exclaimed. "They has chains on her, na no da!"

"Quiet, Pudding. We don't want whatever aliens are inside there to know we're here," Ichigo reprimanded.

"All right, Ichigo-chan. Pudding will be quiet, na no da! Right away, na no da!" The monkey-girl chattered.

Lettuce sighed. She could tell that her friends were all nervous. Ichigo was trying to be calm, but she could see her hands clenched into fists within the cat-girl's strawberry red gloves. Pudding was talking even faster than she usually did, a sure sign that the monkey was distressed. And Mint, though her face was as cool as Ichigo's, betrayed her nervousness by the fluttering of the ultramarine lorikeet's wings that protruded from the small of her back.

"Well, girls, what's the plan? Zakuro seems to be alone, but we never know," Mint observed. "Ryou and Keiichiro said the alien's signal was the most powerful they'd ever seen!"

As Ichigo and Lettuce turned to discuss plans with Mint, Pudding kept her eyes glued to the small spaceship window they looked through. Her golden eyes widened as a tall, red-clad figure materialized beside her werewolf friend.

"Lettuce, Mint, Ichigo, look! It's a girl-alien, with Zakuro, na no da! She is very scary looking, na…"

At the youngest Mew's words, Lettuce had whipped around to see what Pudding was looking at. When the mermaid saw Scarlet Red, her green eyes took on an expression of shock similar to Pudding's. She clapped a pale hand over her friend's mouth before the little monkey could even finish her catchphrase.

"She looks like…no, it can't be!" Mint exclaimed in a whisper.

"Deep Blue?" Ichigo gasped. "She must be…his sister. Mas—that human that Deep Blue inhabited said that he kept getting mental pictures of a girl dressed in red and black. He said her name was—Scarlet Red. That must be her!"

"Well, there's no time to worry," Lettuce resolved. "We'd better get in there before she does anything horrible to our Zakuro."

A moment later, four whispered cries echoed into the emptiness of space.

"Ribbon Strawberry Check!"

"Ribbon Mint Echo!"

"Ribbon Lettuce Flash!"

"Ribbon Pudding Ring Inferno!"

_The Holding Bay of Scarlet Red's Ship _

Zakuro's sharp wolf ears caught the whispered sounds, and her heart filled with worry. Her friends were coming...she had to warn them that it was a trap! _Oh no, oh no, oh no! _

Scarlet Red must have sensed her worry this time, as she tossed her long reddish-black hair over her shoulders and gave a short, humorless laugh. "They have come, Lone Wolf, they have come."

Zakuro's shoulders tensed. _That name! _Unbidden, thoughts of Pie flooded her. She had to clench her violet eyes shut to keep Scarlet Red from seeing her tears.

_How could he have betrayed me? I…I thought…the way he'd been acting…maybe he'd missed me. Maybe he cared about me._

_Maybe he loved me. _

_I shouldn't care about them. He's an alien—my former enemy! I didn't care a thing for him! And I most certainly didn't like him!_

_Yes I did. I loved him. And I hoped…I hoped he felt it too. _

There was no denying it anymore. Ever since he'd kissed her that strange night back in Tokyo, she'd been telling herself that her feelings toward the tall alien were neutral. But now, in her enemy's spaceship far above Earth with no hope of rescue—and the realization that Pie had been working for said enemy—her control just broke, and she admitted to herself that she cared. Now, when all hope was gone, did she realize what she should have done long ago.

"Answer me, captive!" Scarlet's harsh tone cut through the wolf's melancholy thoughts. "I said, are you missing your little sweetheart? That poor little—Pie, that's it—my brother's ex-henchman? You should have _seen _the expression on his face when I took you from him. When he realized that all the time he was trying to court you, he was really leading you to me. Hilarious, absolutely hilarious."

That was the last straw. Zakuro whipped her head around so fast her purple hair whacked herself in the face. "I'd figured out long ago that he was working for you. That's not new."

Scarlet laughed again, as the werewolf had expected, but the words she spoke were _not _expected. "Working for me, you stupid human? You thought Pie was _working for me_? That I would actually be as stupid as my late brother in hiring intelligent, thinking, calculating beings to be my servants? No, Wolf-Mew, I am above that. I use _robots, _child, _robots_! Pilka and Zalka are machines programmed to fight like monsters and obey my every whim. That—Pie—boy was never helping me, at least not of his own will. Stupid Mew!"

_Robots? Pilka and Zalka? She uses Robots? _Zakuro was dumbfounded. _That means Pie—didn't betray me? And she said he was sad when I was captured…_

…_maybe he does love me?_

Her train of thought was interrupted by four identical crashes.

"Zakuro! It's you, na no da! We've come to save you, na no da!"

It was the other Mews! No! She had to save them…

"Girls, don't! Ichigo, Mint, Lettuce, Pudding, listen to me! It's a trap, I'm the bait! Scarlet Red wants to capture you guys! Leave me, save yourselves!"

Time froze for a second.

All four Mews gaped open-mouthed at Zakuro, as though they couldn't believe what she'd just said. It was Mint who spoke.

"No, Zakuro. I don't care if it's a trap. You're one of us, one of Tokyo Mew Mew. We'd never leave you—not ever. Now girls, let's fight."

Mint flew toward Zakuro and started trying to undo the thick bonds Scarlet had put on her. Pudding began shooting sparks of light at the two robots, Pilka and Zalka, while Ichigo and Lettuce double-teamed Scarlet Red. Pink and green light surrounded her, but she seemed to deflect the mermaid and the cat-girl's attacks fairly easily.

With an explosive _Crack! _Mint ripped Zakuro's bonds off. "Help us fight, Zakuro, please. We can't leave Scarlet Red as an open threat."

Zakuro nodded, her violet eyes solemn. "She can still defeat us, Mint my dear friend. Of course I will fight. After all…" she laughed, "nobody holds Zakuro Fujiwara in a glass pomegranate and gets away free."

_10 minutes later_

_Battle still raging_

The battle was still going on. Zakuro was helping Pudding defeat the two robots. Now that the odds were better, the creations seemed to be weakening. Though Pilka did indeed fight like a monster with her long twin daggers, Zakuro was slowly driving her back into a corner.

The werewolf's crosswhip snaked out to trap the robot's feet, but Pilka jumped it nimbly. She rounded on Zakuro and started chasing the werewolf in the other direction. Zakuro was fast, but she was human, with limits. Pilka was a robot, programmed to finish off Zakuro at all costs.

Frantic, the wolf listened to the slap of her tall purple boots against the steel floor as she looked for an exit. She noticed a narrow passage leading up toward the engine. It was a wild chance, but she took it. Dashing down the alley, she could hear Pilka gaining on her at every moment.

A wire cable snaked across the floor. The werewolf didn't see it, and went tumbling. _Oh no…this is the end, _she thought. _The robot will finish me off…_

But she never hit. Inches above the ground, a pair of arms grabbed her. _Pie…_


	6. Chapter 6

Lone Wolf

Chapter 6

A/N: The last chapter…except the epilogue, of course. Hope you've enjoyed.

Disclaimer: No more Mia Ikumi than I was last chap. But Scarlet, Pilka, and Zalka are still mine.

(Oh, by the way, I forgot to put this in a few chaps earlier: Chihiro is property of Hayao Miyazaki. Although I wish I owned her.)

…falling into the arms of Pie.

There was a second of silence as purple eyes met black. Neither party spoke, still a little in disbelief.

The spell would have held were it not for the entrance of Pilka. The robot charged between them, spurring both wolf and alien into action. Zakuro's crosswhip wrapped around the robot's shoulders as Pie's sword drove between the metal plates of her upper body. The blue-haired mechanical creature tripped, her computer-chip eyes going blank.

Pie knelt down beside the fallen Pilka and began prying the plates off her chest as though his life (or Zakuro's) depended on it. Once he had reached the mess of wires that formed the heart of the computer program that kept her running, Pie found what he was looking for: her central chip.

Taking the small, silver orb in his palms, he admired it a moment. That something so tiny and pretty-looking could be the brain behind a creation as destructive as Pilka had always amazed him.

But, as usual, no time to think of that. Wordlessly, he handed the ball to Zakuro. The werewolf lay it on the ground and dealt it two sharp taps with the butt of her whip. It exploded into smithereens instantly. Pilka's limbs twitched, then crashed against the metal floor and lay still.

"Well," Pie said, a tremble in his voice, "That's…done with."

Zakuro turned to the alien, her throat dry. "Uh…Pie? What are you doing here?"

The alien turned, and the wolf was surprised to see he was actually blushing, an action she hadn't thought was possible for Pie. "I…I was kinda…uh…er…concerned, when you…I mean when that…woman captured you…and she said something about me leading her to you…and I felt so bad…guilty…I just thought I had to…come save you," Pie finally managed to stutter out.

Emotions hit Zakuro like a flood tide. She didn't know whether to be angry at him for coming to "save" her when she'd been most completely capable of rescuing herself—or at least being rescued by the other Mews. But…it was really nice of him to put his life on the line to come save her…but hadn't he said it was just guilt? That he just didn't want to have her capture on his conscience for years after, so he'd decided to come help?

Her emotions were so tangled…better just be brusque with him. It was how, as a model, she'd been trained to treat men anyway.

"Well, that's very nice, but I'd better get back to the main fight. My friends need my help in beating that nasty Scarlet Red lady, and she's still got one robot left. So if you plan to be of any use, you can come too, or you can just be a coward and hide in the airlock here." With that, she made a sharp about-face and strode off, her pointed boots clicking on the metal floor.

Pie stared after the werewolf a moment, his eyes following the path of her long purple hair as it swung from side to side. _She really must hate me…_he thought, _And I'm such a coward, I lost the only chance I'm ever going to have…_

"Lone Wolf! Wait!" Pie yelled, finally driven to desperation. "I…I've got something to tell you."

Zakuro turned on her heel, angrily facing him. "Be quick, Pie. I've got a battle to fight."

"Well…um…Zakuro," Pie stammered, his face redder than Scarlet Red's hair. "I've just got to say that…I know we're enemies and everything…I'm an alien…you're a Mew…and…but…I think I love you."

Zakuro froze.

"What…did…you…just say?" She was incredulous. These were the words she'd longed to hear…he loved her. _He loved her. _Her, Zakuro Fujiwara, the model, the Mew, his former enemy…he loved her.

Pie's face fell. _I must look like I don't feel the same way, _Zakuro realized. _But I do. I know now that I do._ She walked over to where Pie was standing and put her hand on his shoulder. Within, she struggled, considering how to voice her feelings to him.

After a length, Pie spoke. "If…I should have known. I was very stupid to consider that you might think of me as anything more than a stupid boring alien. But you wanted to know why I came to help you, and its' the only answer I've got, Lone Wolf. I'm…sorry."

The wolf Mew gently put a hand under his chin and lifted his face so it was level with hers. "Could you _please _actually give me a chance to speak before jumping to conclusions, Pie. I…you know what I am. I'm a model. And a werewolf. And a crime-fighter. Trained to be cold, to never trust guys because they might just be using me. And…I'd never actually loved a guy. Not even liked one. Because I was afraid…afraid of love. But there was one man…who was the last person I expected to care for…but I did. I thought…I was sure that he would never care for a cold, superhero werewolf like me…but…Ok, I'm babbling, aren't I? I'm sorry, it's just…the thing is—I love you too, Pie."

Zakuro had never seen Pie shocked before. You know, it was almost humorous, the way his eyebrows shot way up and his eyes searched her face for any hint that she might be teasing. "You…do?"

"Of course, silly alien. Would I have said so otherwise?" she reminded him.

He really _was _handsome when he was shocked. But she didn't get to enjoy his shocked expression much longer, because a moment later, he was kissing her. For the second time.

This time, she actually returned his kiss. And she had to say, it was ten times as wonderful as it had been before.

When Pie finally broke off, he took a deep breath and faced her. "Well, Lone Wolf…we'd better go fight this battle…together."

Zakuro smiled what felt like her first real smile since her capture. "Of course. Scarlet Red is far too dangerous to be left on the loose. Are you ready?"

"As ready as I will ever be…my love."

Although it was a rather cliché thought, Pie couldn't help noticing that when Zakuro beamed, it looked like the sun had entered her eyes. It really was quite beautiful. If he had to pick one thing as the last thing his mortal eyes ever saw, that would definitely be in his top two…

…But, as usual, there was no time to think about that.

"Ribbon Strawberry Check!" Ichigo Momomiya shouted, back in the holding bay where the battle still raged. She and Mint threw themselves at the alien every moment, but Scarlet Red seemed undefeatable, and their attacks were wearing thin. Pudding was still preoccupied with Zalka, and Lettuce was trying to figure out the ship's controls so they didn't crash into any planets, but where was Zakuro? The former captive had been chased down a passageway by the other robot, Pilka, but she hadn't been seen in nearly twenty minutes. Ichigo hoped her wolf friend was OK.

"Ichigo! Watch out!" Mint yelled. The cat Mew snapped her pink-haired head up just in time to see Scarlet Red advancing, a sword of crimson crystal in her left hand.

"Ribbon…" Ichigo began, but it was too late. She couldn't get the attack ready in time. Deep Blue's sister was only a few feet away…now a few steps…now almost upon her…

"Ribbon Zakuro Pure!" A brilliant purple attack caused the air above the alien's head to crackle. Several inches of her beautiful reddish-black hair sizzled and burned, falling to the ground in a storm of ashes. To Ichigo, it looked as though Scarlet was crying fire.

Mint and Ichigo turned as one. Zakuro had returned! Smiles split both Mews' faces as they saw their friend walking toward them, safe and with no sign of that Pilka robot. And with her was another figure, one they recognized as none other than the alien genius Pie! It didn't escape Mint's notice that he and Zakuro were holding hands as they approached, but she'd worry about that later.

"Zakuro! You're okay!" they yelled at the same time. Mint ran over to her and gave her a gigantic hug, almost knocking the wolf off her feet.

"Are you ready to fight, girls?" Zakuro asked. "After all, no alien captures Zakuro Fujiwara and gets away with it."

Ichigo nodded. "Well—now that we've got three of us here, we can try combining our powers. Mint's and my individual attacks don't' work."

Mint and Zakuro nodded. They closed their eyes and concentrated on feeding their powers into their leader, as they had done so many times before. Violet and cerulean ropes of light flew into the pink core that was Ichigo. When the catgirl felt the power levels within her were high enough, she raised her pink-gloved hands in Scarlet Red's direction, yelling her newly-empowered war cry,

"Strawberry Bell Bell, Version Up! Ribbon Strawberry Check, Surprise!"

The powerful attack rocketed through the air towards the powerful alien. Zakuro gulped and clutched Pie's hand tighter. The strawberry-pink heart-shaped beam of light collided with Scarlet's pale, outstretched hands. For a moment, Zakuro's heart lifted with hope…then Scarlet Red pushed the attack away, sending it ricocheting through the air to collide with the spaceship's wall. The villain fell back, her hands burned and blistering, but otherwise unharmed, and still far from defeated.

"Wha—What? That always worked before," Ichigo wailed. Her big pink eyes welled up with tears as she realized that their most powerful attack had failed. There seemed to be no choices left.

Zakuro looked at Pie. Though she was not crying, inside she felt as though she would. She too had realized that there was no hope left. _It's not fair, _she told herself, _I finally found true love, and now we're both going to die?_

This realization was followed a second later by anger. _NO! I'm not going to let this happen to Pie! Or my friends! _She turned toward Ichigo, but the cat was in tears. So, instead she faced Mint. She took her left hand, the one that was not in Pie's, and placed it on the parrot-girl's shoulder. "Mint—there's one hope left, but I need your help. I need you to be strong. We might just make it through this, if we all work together. I need—I need you to attack Scarlet one last time."

The bird-girl shook her head stubbornly. She was terrified, Zakuro could tell. "Mint, do you ever want to see Keiichiro again?"

That did it for the bird. "I'll attack at your signal, Zakuro. I—I trust you to do…whatever you're doing."

From this dialogue, Pie had realized that Zakuro was going to try something. He grabbed her hand tighter and spoke in an urgent whisper. "Lone Wolf, don't! I've just found you—I—I don't want to lose you! After all…I love you."

Mint almost jumped in shock as the realization of what had finally happened to her friend hit her. _Oh. So that's why Zakuro is risking her neck all of a sudden. I get it. She's finally in love! About time, too. _

She secretly watched as the werewolf turned back to the alien, the pent-up tears visible in her violet eyes. "I love you too, Pie. That's why I've got to do this. It's the only chance that we might all live through this. I want to save you, and my friends too. Please—you have to let me."

After a long moment, Pie finally nodded. He lifted her chin in his hand, raising her eyes so they met his. "Good luck, my beautiful Lone Wolf. Come back to me." They stood there a moment, frozen in time.(Mint had to strongly resist the urge to go _Awww, _but she didn't want to face Zakuro's wrath if they lived through this) When Pie finally moved away, Zakuro turned to face their enemy, who was finally getting back up from the weakening blow.

Detaching her hand from Pie's, she prepared herself. She fixed on her best model face, hoping Scarlet Red had no inkling of what she was about to attempt. She inched toward the alien, crosswhip hidden behind her back as though she'd dropped it.

"One…two…three…now!" she whispered. Her friend heard the signal, as she yelled her dual battle cries with all the strength she had left.

"Mintoon Alo! Ribbon Mint Echo!"

The blast of blue light flew toward the weakened Scarlet Red. The alien reached up her burned hand to deflect it. As soon as the hand raised, Zakuro charged.

She held her crosswhip extended in front of her. She centered on Scarlet Red's torso, raised the whip—and struck.

For a second that lasted eternity, the weapon burned in Zakuro's hand. Her fingers begged to be released from the scalding whip, but her mind told them to stay put.

All of a sudden, the whip flared bright white and Scarlet Red exploded into millions of tiny flames. They rained down on Zakuro, leaving scorch marks wherever they landed.

The burning pain filling the werewolf lasted for about a moment. Then, the smoke cleared, and the sounds of Ichigo's tears again became audible. _I did it, _Zakuro realized, _I saved them all. Deep Blue's sister is gone forever. We defeated her!_

In the next moment, three things happened at once. First, Lettuce Midorikawa came rushing into the chamber, a big grin on her face. "I've got the ship to fix on autopilot, so we can fight without worrying about crashing…" the porpoise Mew began. As she laid her eyes on the strange sight of three of her friends and one former enemy standing beside a pile of ashes, she stopped short.

Secondly, Pudding Fong rushed in through another corridor, chasing the other robot, Zalka. Ignoring the scene for a moment, she cornered Zalka next to the hole the Mews had made in the wall when they entered the ship. With a fierce shout, she pushed the robot over the edge. The monkey's amber eyes followed her downward path until she was no more than a speck below them, then she turned too toward the other Mews. The words she was about to say froze on her lips as she took in the remains of Scarlet Red.

Thirdly, Pie recovered from the frozen stupor all six of them had momentarily suffered. He turned toward Zakuro and unexpectedly threw his arms around the werewolf. "You did it, Lone Wolf! You saved us all!"

Then, he grabbed his Mew's shoulders and kissed her. They stood there a long time, oblivious to everything, including the fact that the other Mews (except Mint) were staring at them, mouths agape.

Suddenly, the silence was broken by the sound of Ichigo (who had been in tears a moment ago) bursting into laughter. This seemed to release the others from their stupor.

"What's so funny?" Lettuce demanded to know.

"Well…" Ichigo managed to get out through her laughter. "I just had a thought…Kish will _never_ let Pie live this one down!"

Three more laughing voices joined Ichigo's. The storm of hysteria was finally enough to rouse the two new loves from their kiss. "What is it?" Pie queried.

"If you missed it the first time, we're not going to say it again," Mint told him, smug despite the fact that she was doubled over in laughter.

Zakuro shook her head resignedly. "You guys are soooo immature sometimes. Well—come on, everyone. Let's go home."


	7. Epilogue

Epilogue

A/N: Over at last—Well, I'll miss this story. Hope you all enjoyed it.

Disclaimer: Not Mia Ikumi. The late Scarlet, the late Pilka, and Zalka are all mine.

Four male figures stood outside of Café Mew Mew, worried expressions on their faces. After Ichigo and crew had left to rescue Zakuro, Ryou had got in contact with the aliens. He knew they'd want to know about the danger. Surprisingly, only Kish and Tart were there. Pie, they said, hadn't been seen since the day of Zakuro's capture. However, the two remaining aliens were very worried about their girlfriends, and had agreed to come to the café straightaway to await their return.

Now, they'd been gone for almost a day, and the atmosphere outside the small restaurant was nervous and tense. Kish was pacing, and his dark eyes had that distracted cast they always took on when he worried about his Ichigo. Keiichiro was staring stony-faced at the ground while Ryou, a hand on his long-time friend's shoulder, was glancing around distractedly. Tart (still really a child, even in alien years,) was hunched over on the ground, crying. The four of them had been that way for probably the past hour. They hadn't eaten since breakfast—how could they, when their significant others were off somewhere fighting the most powerful alien they'd ever faced?

Keiichiro blinked. The sun was so bright today, and his constant staring at the sky was leaving brilliant yellow sunspots in his vision. Some of them seemed to be blinking different colors, too, pink and green and even some bright blue.

_Darn! _These sunspots just would _not _go away! Keiichiro had been blinking constantly for almost a minute, but there were these four spots, one pink, one yellow, one blue, and one green, that just wouldn't clear from his vision. Also, they didn't seem to be dimming—if anything, they were getting larger and closer by the second…

Suddenly, it clicked. He knew those colors! "Kish! Tart! Ryou! They're back!" Keiichiro yelled, his voice filled with childlike happiness.

The aliens and the blonde human turned to follow their friend's gaze. They too saw the brilliant dots fast approaching Tokyo. Soon, the forms of four of the five Mew Mews became apparent as they approached their café.

When the four girls at last alighted on the grass, their boyfriends could just stare. They looked horrible! Mint was covered with scorch marks, and brilliant crimson tear tracks ran down Ichigo's face. Pudding was flying slowly and awkwardly, if exhausted, and Lettuce's glasses were cracked and her limbs smeared with spaceship oil.

As usual, it was the always hyper (even when tired) Pudding who broke the short silence. "TAR-TAR!" she exclaimed joyfully, running toward Tart with her arms outstretched.

"Pudding! You're back!" Tart ran toward his little monkey ecstatically, and in an instant the two were locked in a tight embrace. "I saved you some candy for your return…" the alien told the Mew.

Pudding just giggled and said, "I missed you, na no da!"

Kish smiled at his friend before rushing toward Ichigo. "My beautiful Strawberry-Cat," he said, "You're okay!" It was rare that Kish showed any concern, but the others could tell he'd been really worried about Ichigo.

"I'm fine, now that I'm back with you, Kish," the cat Mew told him, grabbing him around the shoulders and kissing him in front of everybody. Kish seemed surprised at the bold gesture, but you could tell he was overjoyed that his Ichigo was safe.

Ryou cast a worried glance over Lettuce's smoke-smeared body. "Wow, my Lettuce. You look like that time you asked Kish to teach you how to fly a spaceship."

The porpoise just laughed at that. "Well, those lessons ended up coming in handy, Ryou-chan. I actually did fly one!"

Ryou grinned. You could tell he was proud of Lettuce. She really had gained so much confidence since she first became a Mew. She would never have done something like that just a year ago. He ran his hands through her pretty green hair, while thinking, _I'm glad she's still cautious enough to keep herself safe. I don't know what I'd do if she ever got really hurt. _

Keiichiro turned from watching his best friend and Lettuce to finally face his beloved Mint. He was a dignified man, but he really had to control himself to keep from running to her.

They had never needed many words between them. They were not ones for cute nicknames, like Pudding, or public passion, like Kish. But Keiichiro's "Welcome back, my little bird," still made Mint's heart swell up when she heard it.

She seemed so cold and stuck-up to her friends. But she really did care for him, and she'd missed him a lot. So Mint Aizawa did something she didn't do often (at least in public). She leaned over and gave Keiichiro a kiss on the cheek, for once not caring who saw. "I missed you too, Keiichiro."

He smiled and put an arm around his pretty girl. Suddenly, concern clouded his face. "But…where's Zakuro? Did you—save her?" Mint saw worry and panic in his eyes as he contemplated the absence of his good friend.

But Mint didn't need to respond. For just then, a brilliant violet figure, accompanied by another one that the boys were sure they recognized, but couldn't place for a moment.

Zakuro landed beside her friends, and the mouths of Keiichiro, Ryou, Tart, and Kish (who had finally broken from his kiss) dropped wide open. For Pie stood beside her, one arm protectively around the werewolf's waist.

Pie whispered something in her ear, and she nodded. He turned to Kish. "What? You knew I had to fall in love sometime. It shouldn't come as such a surprise to you. And close your mouth, or I'll start calling you Kish the Fish." With that, he kissed his Zakuro right in front of his two alien friends, who were practically going into shock by that point.

Kish turned to his Ichigo, who was trying to stop herself from laughing at his stunned expression. He pointed at the kissing figures of Pie and Zakuro. "That," he told his cat-girlfriend, "is going to take some getting used to."

**The End. **


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